Sun tanning on the shores and sipping drinks at the beach clubs 🏖️🍹 are what comes to mind when we picture Sentosa, but did you know that the island was once an important British military base beginning from the 1880s? 🌊 With its strategic location to protect shipping passages into Keppel Harbour, the island was part of defence plans as early as 1827! Originally known as Pulau Blakang Mati, the name Sentosa ("Tranquillity" in Malay) was selected after a contest launched by the then Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (now Singapore Tourism Board) in 1969. To attract more visitors, the island went through redevelopment such as the opening of the New Ferry Terminal in October 1987. With a bigger capacity, the terminal helped increase the flow of visitors while decreasing travel time. Alongside the famous Sentosa Musical Fountain and Fountain Gardens, the terminal was demolished in 2007, with Resorts World Sentosa now standing in its place. Learn more about Singapore's key developments in areas such as tourism after independence when you visit the Singapore History Gallery, Level 1. More information at www.go.gov.sg/shg. Photo: New Ferry Terminal and Fountain Gardens at Sentosa, late 1980s, collection of National Museum of Singapore #nationalmuseumofSingapore #sentosa #singapore